Friday, 16 August 2013

Vegan (raw) creamy zucchini 'pasta'

I don't like a food phase to go by without giving it a go and am quite interested in the raw vegan trend at the moment so here is my almost raw recipe (with raw options).

You will need:
1 cup of cashews, soaked in water for about 6-8 hours
1/2-1 cup of non-dairy milk of your choice (or if you aren't vegan then you can use regular milk)
1-2 garlic cloves
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 teaspoon of dijon mustard
chopped herbs- I used thyme and parsley because that is what I had in the fridge
2-3 zucchinis depending on size and how much 'pasta' you want.

Serves 3 as a stand-alone dish

Soaking the cashews softens them and allows you to make a 'cream' rather than just a cashew pesto

Drain the cashews and pop them in a blender (I only have a little chopper and that works fine too if you just do a small amount at a time) until smooth

Gradually add your milk until you get the consistency you want (or this can be done in the blender)

Add the lemon juice and mustard (bought mustards aren't always raw, if you want 100% raw then you can find a recipe for mustard here )

Finely chop (or blend) your garlic and herbs. I only use 1 clove because I do not love raw garlic, and mix that in to your cashew mix, seasoning to taste

For the 'pasta' you need to thinly slice your zucchini into 'spaghetti' or you can use a vegetable peeler to make thin strips.

If you are going to go raw then mix and enjoy

If you want a warm meal then boil up a big pot of water and pop your zucchini in for 1-2 minutes, you just want to blanch it. Drain in a colander, mix in your sauce and crack some black pepper over the top.

This is also a very quick dish to make and can be prepared in advance to throw together at the last minute.